#AWANIinternational with @_farhanasheikh
1. China evaluating U.S. offer to negotiate tariffs
2. Trump signs order to cut funding to NPR, PBS
#AWANIinternational #AWANINews
1. China evaluating U.S. offer to negotiate tariffs
2. Trump signs order to cut funding to NPR, PBS
#AWANIinternational #AWANINews
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, you are watching Awani International with me, Farah Naseh.
00:04Here are our top stories for tonight.
00:07China says it's evaluating US offer to negotiate tariffs
00:11and Trump signs new order to cut funding to NPR and PBS.
00:16More on this coming up.
00:17Here are our top stories for tonight.
00:31Now Beijing is evaluating an offer from Washington
00:34to hold negotiations on US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs.
00:39China's Commerce Ministry says the US has approached Beijing to seek talks,
00:44adding that it was open to discussions.
00:48However, it warned the US not to engage in extortion or coercion.
00:52The ministry also said the US must be prepared to show sincerity
00:55by correcting its previous mistakes and cancelling unilateral tariffs.
01:01Its statement comes a week after Trump claimed discussions were already underway,
01:06which Beijing has denied.
01:08Trump's 145% tariffs on many Chinese products saw Beijing respond in April
01:15with levies on imports of US goods of 125%.
01:19At the same time, China has created a list of US-made products it would exempt
01:25from its retaliatory levies, which include pharmaceuticals, jet engines, and microchips.
01:32Now moving on, just over 100 days of his second term,
01:44Donald Trump, President Donald Trump has now signed a new executive order
01:47that aims to cut funding to news outlets Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS,
01:53and National Public Radio, NPR, accusing them of being biased.
01:58The audit instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB,
02:03which distributes funding to the stations to seize direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law.
02:12Trump's May 1st audit also seeks to cut off indirect funding,
02:15ensuring federal funds aren't used by any of CPB's recipients to support them.
02:21While Congress has already approved CPB's budget through 2027,
02:26the White House reportedly plans to ask Congress to rescind US$1.1 billion,
02:32equivalent to two years of funding for the CPB.
02:36NPR and PBS have warned that such cuts would severely impact their ability to deliver trusted news,
02:43especially to millions of Americans that rely on public media.
02:48Trump has often clashed with media institutions.
02:50recently ordering the shutdown of state-funded outlets like Voice of America, Radio Free Asia,
02:56and the Middle East broadcasting networks,
02:59accusing them of being left-leaning or biased against him.
03:03This has prompted human rights advocates to raise concerns over free speech and economic freedom.
03:09All right, that's our top two stories.
03:19Stay tuned for more after this break.
03:20Welcome back.
03:38Now, the government is set to hold a special parliamentary seating to discuss the United States' reciprocal tariffs on May 5th.
03:47As a prelude to this, we have Aira Azhari from Ideas with us to share her insights.
03:53Thank you so much for joining us.
03:55Now, Aira, what can you expect during the seating?
03:58And what would be the hotly debated topics and discussions put forth, you think?
04:02I think we can expect an update from Tenggu Zafrul, who just returned from the U.S., fresh from discussions with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative,
04:17and perhaps from the Prime Minister as well, who will most likely share about the steps the government is taking to address this tariff issue.
04:25I think MPs will be most interested to know what steps are being taken to ensure the impact on specific industries.
04:33Will tariffs mean increased costs for goods and services for Malaysians?
04:39What are the cost pressures on SMEs, especially those in affected export sectors?
04:46This is really important because small businesses usually operate on thin profit margins.
04:50So, any uptake in costs will have a significant impact on them.
04:56Investors will probably want to know about the unpredictability and the uncertainty, which will make it harder, actually, for foreign investors to take risks and to invest in the country.
05:09So, they would like to know how will this affect our FDI attractiveness and our competitiveness as well.
05:15And also, maybe, our stance as the Chairman of ASEAN.
05:21So, our initial response was quite a commendable collective stance.
05:26But what's next?
05:28There's about half a year to go for our ASEAN Chairmanship.
05:32So, I think all of these issues will be brought up by the MPs and the Ministers on Monday.
05:40Yeah.
05:41Right.
05:41A lot to look forward to.
05:43You know, from Tenggu Zafro's trip to Washington just a couple of days ago, METI has actually outlined its strategy to deal with US tariffs.
05:54But what does it entail, especially when it comes to reviewing certain industrial policies?
05:59Is there a specific sector or area that we need to look into?
06:03So, I think METI's strategy in response to the US tariffs have been to focus on the broader goal, which is to manage the systemic uncertainty,
06:18while at the same time safeguarding our export competitiveness and also our investment climate.
06:24The National Geoeconomic Command Centre, the NGCC, which is METI's stakeholder task force, has already been activated.
06:33I believe that the NGCC has already met.
06:36So, this is a good early step in a longer-term recalibration of Malaysia's trade and industrial strategies.
06:42But we must remember that this is not simply about negotiating tariff relief, but also about adapting the broader trade architecture and signalling openness to reform.
06:53So, METI hasn't actually spelled out targeted sectors for reform, but they have mentioned several areas that have emerged as focal points.
07:03One of them is to reduce the bilateral trade deficit and then addressing non-tariff barriers, strengthening technological safeguards and security,
07:12and also exploring the possibility of a bilateral trade agreement.
07:17I think Tenggu Zafro also brought up the issue of economic security as well.
07:21So, yeah, I think in the field of agriculture, especially non-tariff barriers, has remained a concern.
07:30There are many procedures and measures that are quite complicated still in the agricultural sector,
07:37which maybe this is a good time for Malaysia to think about improving this.
07:44And also, diversification versus dependency.
07:49So, one of the issues is the trade surplus with the US, which has reduced to $25 billion over the years.
07:57But this trade surplus still makes us vulnerable to political pressure from the US.
08:04So, of course, there is an impulse to preserve market access, which is understandable.
08:08But we need to think about real resilience, which will come from export, market diversification, enhanced free trade agreement,
08:17utilisation and stronger regional integration.
08:20So, I think here MITI is already taking the right steps.
08:23So, they are actively pursuing new trade agreements.
08:26So, the European Free Trade Agreement, the EFTA, will be signed early June, if I'm not mistaken.
08:33And also, you know, the opportunity to strengthen ASEAN cooperation is also really important.
08:40And lastly, I think while Malaysia has stated that we will not retaliate in terms of tariffs,
08:46the substance of these engagements are the one that matters.
08:49So, the devil is in the detail, right?
08:51So, negotiating exemptions or a technology safeguard agreement may offer tactical relief,
08:56but there are still deeper systemic issues, such as restrictive ownership policies,
09:01sectoral protectionism, which will need addressing.
09:05And real concessions may require review of the long-standing industrial practices,
09:09particularly in services, agriculture, as I already mentioned, and also state-linked procurement.
09:15So, strengthening domestic regulatory coherence is really important.
09:18And investing in sectors are likely to face scrutiny.
09:23I mean, given the current situation, I think it's definitely timely for Malaysia to sort of assess
09:30and review back some of its policies and also its, you know, trade relations.
09:36But with regards to this, you know, Malaysia has remained very steadfast in its commitment
09:40to engage with the US and ensure continuous dialogue.
09:44So, focusing on, like you said, improving trade imbalance, surplus deficit,
09:49and also strengthening ties.
09:52But, you know, a lot is still in the air.
09:54So, do we expect any changes in our strategy and approach, especially after the seating on May 5th?
10:01Or can we anticipate anything that could affect Malaysia's future plans?
10:08To some extent, it will depend on what the responses are from the other MPs on Monday.
10:14The goods referral has already kick-started this, the process of discussions,
10:18of engagements with the USTR, and he has mentioned that negotiations will start soon.
10:24I think there probably will not be a complete overhaul or a complete pivot away from our national priorities
10:31in terms of trade and investments.
10:32We already have some core frameworks in place, such as the National Industrial Master Plan,
10:39the National Semiconductor Strategy, and the NETR, which do provide a clear forward direction.
10:46But, who knows, there may be adjustments in how Malaysia approaches sector-specific reforms,
10:52especially in sensitive areas such as agriculture and technology.
10:55The NIMP already focuses on addressing many of the right issues, such as supply chain gaps,
11:02industrial upgrading, and export diversification.
11:04The changes will likely be about how we implement these priorities more effectively.
11:10So, I think after Monday, we will need to firstly pay attention to what the other MPs are going to bring up in Parliament.
11:21My sense is they will be concerned about how it will impact their constituents in the long run.
11:28But, I also don't feel that the government is going to sort of move away or come up with a completely new strategy.
11:40They're still going to stay on track to what they want to say.
11:44Right. Thank you so much, Aira.
11:47And May 5th is something we have to look forward to.
11:49The United States has ended its small parcel tariff exemption today.
12:03Some small retailers have paused US sales, while others are seeking temporary fixes, hoping rates will drop.
12:10The removal of the de minimis rule for packages under US$800 from China and Hong Kong
12:19now subjects most goods to 145% tariffs,
12:23following President Trump's decision last month that disrupted global trade and drew retaliation from Beijing.
12:29Chinese e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu had relied on the exemption to ship duty-free to the US,
12:35but both Trump and Biden argued it hurt US businesses and was exploited to smuggle drugs.
12:42In February, Trump briefly suspended the de minimis exemption to curb synthetic opioid imports like fentanyl,
12:49as officials cited abuse of the rule by shippers hiding illicit drugs in low-value packages.
12:55The US Postal Service even temporarily stopped accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong.
13:00Now, import charges vary by shipping method,
13:02with USPS-handled goods facing a 120% tariff or $100 per package,
13:08set to rise to $200 in June, according to US Customs Border and Protection.
13:16Australians head to the polls tomorrow amid global financial turmoil
13:20sparked by US President Donald Trump's tariffs.
13:23As the campaign draws to a close, both frontrunners Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton
13:29are making their final appeals to voters.
13:32Australia remains one of the few democracies with mandatory voting,
13:38with close to 7 billion out of 18 million eligible voters having already cast their ballot by Friday.
13:45Similar to Canada, where Trump's tariffs boosted Prime Minister Mark Carney's political standing,
13:50the US President's disruption of global trade coincided with a rise in support for Albanese.
13:55Opinion polls already show Albanese's centre-left Labour Party leading the conservative Liberal National Coalition
14:03on a two-party preferred basis.
14:05Polls also show that Labour could find itself leading a minority government,
14:10but the party has largely lost support among voters,
14:13increasingly concerned over how the government will handle Trump.
14:16Research Foundation, Lowy Institute, found last month that only 36% of Australians
14:22expressed any level of trust in the US,
14:25the lowest in its annual poll's two-decade history.
14:28That wraps up Awani International. Stay tuned for our reports on the rivalry strategies
14:36and the shifts behind the PowerFest driving the new global order.
14:41Visit international.estrawani.com for more.
14:45Be sure to follow our social media accounts, PowerFest.
14:48That is all for now. I'm Farnashe. Thank you and good night.
14:50Be sure to follow our social media accounts, PowerFest.